Daggers and Diplomacy: Saskia and Masaru's joint mission

"Well, I'm sure there's plenty of documents you could read if you want to learn more. That or you could learn by observation, just use your free time to admire the scenery and take in what's happening." In a way, doing such things were relaxing. It was much more peaceful to do so at night, but not much happened at that time. It was a peaceful, but uneventful. But, being uneventful was what made it peaceful in a way.

Masaru looked out at the humans below, trying to lock on those with obvious reiatsu. At this location, none of them were excessively strong but there were some.

She sighed. "Yeah... it's just... I dunno.. I get distracted easily... " she smirked at the captain. "I mean, I AM only 200 years old... a youngster like me can hardly be expected to pay attention." She joked, seeing if she could get a laugh out of the captain. She turned to where he was looking... Hrm... she didn't see anything... Oh right, he was probably sensing... They WERE on a mission after all. "So, about the mission, what are we looking for precisely?"

Masaru let out a light chuckle, "Well I myself am pretty young too in that sense. I'm only 216." He said giving a small smile, he then turned to looked down at the humans again. "We're meant to gather information on the spiritually aware ones. So I guess in a way we'll be following some around. " He really didn't want to use the term stalk. It seemed...weird and wrong. "Some possess abilities, not Quincies but I'm pretty sure they want more information on Bounts and Fullbringers."

"Huh... Look at us, a bunch of kids out on patrol." She smirked, looking out at the town. Hrm.. Masaru was so much more calm and collected then her... and he was less then a decade older... wow... Sure made her look like crap... But she supposed he was raised for this.. "Hrm... Fullbringers?" She shuddered. "I.. I dunno if I want to go find any fullbringers." She said, clearly worried about something.

He looked over at her, raising a brow slightly. "Something wrong?" He asked, noticing her discomfort. "I'll handle gathering any fullbringer information if that makes you feel better."

Something about fullbringers was making Saskia uncomfortable. Masaru wasn't going to pry about it, as it wasn't any of his business; but he wasn't going to force her to gather information about them when she seemed this uncomfortable.

"It's... It's nothing... I'm not going to be a hindrance on the mission." She said, scanning the area. "B-besides... It's... It's mostly just one or two fullbringers... I would sort of like to avoid.." she added with a blush. Ugh.. she needed to change the subject. Hrm.. what to say what to say... Ah. "So Masaru... tell me... do you have a girlfriend?"

"Wh-...G-girlfriend?" His cheeks brightened some. "Not...not currently." He mumbled nervously. He...he had feelings for someone, but they weren't together...and he wasn't sure they ever would be.

She tilted her head, walking up to Masaru. "Ohhh? I think you're lying." She said, getting into his face and looking up into his eyes. "Or... maybe it's a girl you like? Ooh, I bet it is... Come on, you've got a crush? Tell me about it... I'll tell you mine!" Shit did she even have one? She'd make one up!

Masaru's eyes shifted from side to side as Saskia confronted him on the subject. "I'm, well I'm not with anyone...the person...she's..." He paused, keeping his eyes anywhere instead of Saskia. "We've just...we've just been through a lot together...She was..well she was the first person to really reach out to me and help me through..." How to word this? "Help me through rough times."

He couldn't just explain what his past involved to Saskia, he needed to keep his family name respectable.

She nodded. "Ahh.. no I understand... someone who helps you with personal trouble can leave a huge imprint." she continued to nod. She slowed and opened one eye before leaping at Masaru and grabbing his ear. "Now tell me! Who is iiiit! I have to knoooooow!" she tugged on the ear, determined to hear all the juicy details of the captain's personal lives. It was obviously important business to hear.

If this were some crazy anime he'd probably have steam emitting from his ears out of embarrassment. Now she wanted to know who it was. This was...oh boy...

"I can't just...she might find out and then," He was fumbling with his words. "then what if she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I don't even know if she feels the same way."

He'd had the conversation before, with Xarath when they were on a mission here in the world of the living. It'd been the first time he'd admitted the feelings. He still felt them obviously, but he was just too chicken to confront them. Too worried about losing a friend.

She scowled and popped him in the arm. "Don't be such a wuss about it! Skittering around pretending you don't like her is going to make things way more awkward then if you get it out and then get over it...It's not like you're going 'I am madly in love with you'. You just like her." She said with a definitive nod. Jeez, she was glad she didn't have to deal with this sort of crap.. "Besides, tell me who it is. I'm the vice captain of the STEALTH department.... I can go find OUT who it is."

She had a point. Masaru could give her that. She also had made a point about being from the stealth force...so she probably wasn't exaggerating when she said she could find out.

He still kept his eyes away from her, instead looked down at the traveling bystanders that walked below them. "K-Kano...or Uyusei-taicho." He said, albeit a bit quietly.

She blinked. "Kano? You mean the Captain of squad 9?" huh... she seemed a little... huh. "Oooh... She's cute." she nodded. "I didn't know all of you captains had things for each other. Am I supposed to be picking from the vice captains?" She joked, before scowling. Ugh.. that was a terrible pool..."Anyway... if you want... I'll find out how she feels about you." She said, sounding exceptionally helpful today.

"Fi..Find out?" He questioned, she would go and do that? Kano wasn't one to talk about such things easily though, from what he assumed anyway. "How? I don't think she's the type to talk about something like that without being pressured."

What should have shocked him was that he was even going along with the idea. Sure he wanted to know, but he never thought he'd be in this situation. Getting help from a member of the stealth force!?

"Hrm.. lots of ways.. I could watch you two interact... I could sneak into her room and find evidence.." she smirked. "I COULD press her for information...we have been taught ways to interrogate stronger opponents..." she said, before shrugging. "Or I could just bring it up naturally in a conversation... start gossipping about the captains in general with her and then the conversation eventually would have to include you."

"It, I mean it'd be nice to know how she felt but...I don't want to cause her any trouble or unnecessary stress. She doesn't need that..." He didn't want to put any kind of stress on her, she had work to do, she had her own problems probably and she had a division to run. Burdening her with the questions could make work harder for her...

"Masaru... TRUST me... I know what I'm doing... Getting guys laid is like... the only nice thing I DO for them..." she said, quite honestly. "What do I need to do... for you to trust me with this? Is there anything I can give you as collateral so you believe that I won't fuck things up?" She asked, clapping her hands together. Ugh. She REALLY liked playing cupid.

"Getting laid!?" He asked in whisper before shaking his head. "No no, I would never do something like to her. I'm not the type of guy that just goes looking for that kind of fling." He wasn't the type for flings. He was the type that wanted an honest relationship. It was what he was raised to prefer, having a...a fling would be terrible. For him, his family name, and the person involved.

He'd never even had sex before, and he didn't want to. Not until he was with someone he loved and who loved him back. Only then would it be right...

"Uggh, you know what I mean.." she said dismissively, a little exasperated. "I can tell just looking at you you're not the heartbreaker.. it's why I want to help you. But hey, you plan on sleeping with her SOME day, so I'm STILL getting you laid... Just... I'm doing it the honest way." she said with a grin.

The thought of being with Kano in that sense...this was honestly the first time it'd crossed his mind. He knew a relationship could lead to that, but when it came to relationships he didn't want to just jump into it. He'd grown up believing something like that was sacred, something to be cherished between two people in love that were ready for it. So when Masaru thought of a relationship with Kano well, he had really only been thinking of the romantic aspects, not quite at the point of an intimate relationship yet but close, or well, he guessed anyway.

"If...If you want to ask her about it...I, I don't mind." He finally said, "Just don't pressure her...and if you feel she's feeling too stressed then drop it. I don't want her stressed out when she has a job to do..."

She giggled a little and clapped, hopping up and down. She was waaaay too excited about this. "Great! You won't regret it Masaru! I won't stress her out, I promise. I've done this before, I swear. Hell, half of the time when I hang out with Xarath I'm trying to get him dates... although I don't always tell him that's what I'm doing..." she 'hmm'd. Maybe he didn't always appreciate that.... But hey, not like she was doing a poor job of it. "Trust me. You'll be hearing wedding bells in no time." She teased.

"S-sure." Masaru responded, though he tried to ignore the wedding bells part. He knew that day would come for him eventually, there was no 'maybe not' in the situation. Whether it actually be with someone he found and loved or heaven forbid an arrangement...it would come.

"well good! it's all settled!" She paused, remembering what she'd promised to discuss in exchange. "N-nothing left to talk about here then!" She said, turning and quickly trying to walk away while Masaru was still distracted by thoughts of marriage.

Masaru turned to look at Saskia just as she stopped talking, trying to walk away. Where was she going? Masaru looked down at the humans, noticing a reiatsu that was a little stronger than the ones he'd sensed so far.

It wasn't Quincy either, from what he could tell anyway. Each reiatsu was different, and with enough studying they could be classified...

"There's one." Masaru stated, now they'd observe...